Divorce and Remarriage: Yes in Some Circumstances, as a Last Resort
By David Huffstutler. Read Part 1.
As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
By David Huffstutler. Read Part 1.
Editor’s note: Baptist Bulletin ran a three article set on the topic of divorce and remarriage in the November/December 2020 issue. Below is the first, an introduction by the magazine’s managing editor.
By David Gunn
“Marriage is not a picture of the Gospel when it is permanent. Marriage is permanent when it is a picture of the Gospel. A man physically, emotionally, spiritually or sexually abusing a woman (or child, or anyone) is preaching a FALSE GOSPEL.” - SBC Voices
“The Mennonite Church, U.S.A. appears now to be in a similar situation to what the mainline denominations once were in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
Periodically, throughout the years, I’ve re-visited the “when can Christians legitimately divorce” issue. First time was before seminary, when someone asked me if she had biblical grounds to leave a spouse who beat her. Second time was at seminary, where I was taught the “only for adultery and desertion” approach. Third, fourth and fifth times have been over the past decade-ish, since I’ve been a pastor.
Well, I come before you to declare I’ve figured everything out …
Just kidding.
“In your counseling or supporting role, how do you offer help without becoming a part of the war or simply throwing up your hands in despair?” - The Exchange
The Church in America has had some interesting ideas about what roles within the marriage ought to look like. Some good. Some bad. Some … are just weird. We looked at the wife’s responsibilities in the last article. Now, we turn to the husbands.
If you’re a Christian who wants to think the right way about marriage, you’ll have to decide whether God has anything to say about roles of men and women … and whether you care.
Are male and female distinctions just learned behavior? Are there no bedrock differences? Good differences? Wholesome differences? Complementary differences? Is all this just socialization?
“a Christian who moves ahead with the marriage despite the counsel of elders must be removed from church membership ‘to sober the disobedient believer, wake them up, and win them to a repentant and obedient heart and restoration.’” - CPost
“The amount of divorce and heartbreak and sexual confusion and even suicide in the lives of these individuals who have apparently attempted to prioritize friendship over marriage raises a question about causation: does prioritizing friendship over marriage actually doom healthy marriages? The cases presented in this article would seem to suggest so.” - CBMW
Discussion